I want to make book matched 8×11″ panels from 3/4″ curly maple stock. My plan is to split the stock on the bandsaw and somehow edge glue into panels.
My concerns are:
1. How to edge glue 1/4″ pieces
2. Warping of these skinny panels
Does anyone have ideas on how to proceed (or not proceed) ?
Tom
Replies
Hi Tom ,
Will the panel be placed into a groove in a frame ?
If yes , the frame will keep the panel flat .
A clean jointed edge butt joint will hold .
I would think surfacing the Curly M will be the harder task to create the panel.
go for it
dusty, a boxmaker
Bandsaw in half
Clamp the pieces between cauls for several weeks to acclimate.
Plane and edge joint
Glue up
1/8" pieces are routinely glued up to make guitar fronts and backs so the 1/4" is nothing special.
Agreed. This works for me.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Tom,
Sounds like you have 3/4" x 4" boards, to make 8" wide panels? If so you ought to be ok. Saw the boards, and let them relax for a couple days, then re surface and thickness them. As dusty says, thicknessing curly stock to 1/4" can be problematic. Using a backer board or sled under the stock as you send it thru the planer helps, light passes, and wetting the surface just before you send it thru. Thickness sander really helps with thin panels.
Ray
Tom,
I do this all the time to avoid buying plywood. My experience is less warping with maple the thinner the wood, however that may be just because I'm very bright and good lookin.(rofl)For edge jointing I clamp several together and hit it with the #7. I use the workbench with a piece of wax paper or freezer paper, cleats and wedges and some 2.5lb weights for the top to keep flat. After about 2 hours, I take out and let stand for a week or so and then run it through the planer on a piece of melamine taking small cuts. so far no problems.
BG,
Thanks. I assume a "#7" is a hand plane ?
Tom
So I gave this a shot yesterday with a piece of 4"x3/4" oak (I can't afford to experiment with the maple). BS'd it to two pieces just under 3/8 ths. Then glued the two pieces using three Jorgensen Cabinet Master clamps. These clamps claim to apply even pressure to top and bottom edges, stand up nice and provide an even floor to rest the panels on. This appeared to work very well - no bow when I took the panel out of the clamps. Was I lucky or is this a reasonable way to proceed ?Tom
Tom,
According to my experience, you did indeed just get lucky. It'll never happen again that way, especially using your prized maple.
You didn't mention the two panels bridging up and popping out of the clamps. Or releasing the clamps after the glue is dry to find you've made something that resembles a taco chip (no salt). Or having the two sections slip apart at the glue joint so that you physically cannot plane it down far enough to yield a panel of any reasonable thickness.
Nah. You just did it right, and the panel came out right. Keep doing what you're doing. That other stuff above is just the way I'm used to doing it..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Zolton,
That bad stuff only happens when the boards are finished with shellac.....<gr>
-Jerry
Jerry ,
Sadly, so very, very true...
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Tom From Oswego? (I'm from Saranac, NY...),
I've glued up very thin panels for furniture using a scrap piece of plywood with two cauls glued or screwed to it about an inch farther apart than the width of the combined boards to glue up. Use wedges to fill the gap between the work and one of the cauls and to clamp. works well if you size your plywood backer to allow for clamps along the end grain edges to keep the thing from popping up. I've also used the same fixture with the cauls spaced about 1/32" less than the combined width of the work and just press fit the work into the space between the cauls, only two clamps needed to keep the thing from popping out. Place a strip of wax paper down where the joint is or wax the plywood fixture so you don't glue the work to it. In my experience, you don't need atomic pressure to glue up boards of this thickness only DEAD ON JOINTED EDGES. Good luck however you do it....
>somehow edge glue into panels.<
Assuming your two 1/4" panels are flat:
Hand plane the edges to match up ( "joint" them ) with no light coming through when you stack them vertically and shine a light from the back side. Also visually inspect the seam with a magnifying glass; no clamps. If you like what you see . . .
Apply some PVA glue or hide glue to both edges, not too much, then with one of them clamped in the vise put the second one on top and just rub it back and forth slowly until you feel it start to "grab", align it and leave it to set up.
This is called a rubbed joint. If you have good fit up and use one of the above glue types the glue will pull the joint together tighter as it dries and it will be a very fine joint.
The "pull together" WILL NOT make up for a less than perfect fit up ( sprung joint etc. ).
This is a fun and simple thing to do. Once you learn to do it you will marvel at how simple and elegant it is.
PS: half way through this article shows Garrett Hack gluing up orienting the boards the same way as I mean. He is using clamps and much larger boards but you get the idea.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2554
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 4/19/2009 8:10 am by roc
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